Someone Dumped These 15 Kittens In A Suitcase On The Side Of The Road

On Saturday, a veterinary nurse was walking to work at Vets4Pets in Dagenham, England, when she happened upon a suspicious suitcase that had been dumped on the roadside near her house. The case had been punched through with air holes, so naturally the nurse decided to open it up to see what was inside.

That's when she discovered 15 tiny faces staring up at her — kittens, lucky to have been found alive.

It isn't known to whom the suitcase teeming with the sleepy kitties belongs, but it's believed they may have been left there by an overwhelmed pet breeder who chose to abandon them rather than be sure they were cared for. (It wouldn't be the first time an act of cruelty resulted from a breeder putting profit ahead of an animal's well-being.)

Fortunately, the kittens, thought to be composed of several litters born between four and five weeks ago, were discovered by just the person to help.

With the nurse's help, the kittens were transported to the safety of the nearby Cats Protection Hornchurch & District Branch, where they'll be fostered until they are old enough to be adopted. While the sudden influx of needy cats came as a surprise, caretakers are making sure they get all the attention and love they need.

"The kittens are doing well," a spokesperson for Cats Protection told The Dodo. "Five are being bottle-fed, as they are too young to be away from their mums. The other 10 are all good so far."

We may never understand what would compel someone to willfully put these 15 precious lives in harm's way, but the cruelty of their abandonment has been superseded by something quite the opposite.

Since word of the kittens' discovery over the weekend, Cats Protection has received an outpouring of support online. So much so, in fact, that all of the little felines have forever homes lined up already, when the time comes that they're strong enough to start their lives as beloved pets.